Vulcanizing or like article-forming equipment



Marcli 8, 1949. REMPEL 2,463,560

VULCANIZING OR LIKE ARTICLE-FORMING EQUIPMENT Filed March 15, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. D/etr/ ch G. ,Qempet Bitch 1&3

March 8, 1949. D. G. REMPEL 2,463,560

VULCANIZING OR LIKE ARTICLE-FORMING EQUIPMENT Filed March 15, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 1949. D. G. REMPEL VULCANIZING OR LIKE ARTICLE-FORMING EQUIPMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 15, 1945 l- R mm Me vV s h m r t m D GMN mom v r K mm M mm 5mm um E on Margh 8, 1949. D. G.YREMPELI 2,463,560

VULCANIZING OR LIKE ARTICLE-FORMING EQUIPMENT Filed March 15, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. D/etr/ch 6. Rem 0e! Patented Mar. 8, 1949 2,463,560, vU'LoANizING R L'IKE ARTICLE-Foam G EQUIPMENT Dietrich G. Re'm'pel, Akron, Ohio, as's'ighiii to The Sun Rubber Company, Barbeiton, Ohio, a cor poration of Ohio Application March 15, 1945, Serial No. 582,886

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to vulcanizing or like article-forming equipment and in particular relates to an improved vulcanizing mold.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved mold of compact construction including upper, lower and intermediate mold members, with improved means for shiftably mounting the intermediate member to facilitate loading and unloading the mold.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described above, in which the intermediate mold member is a coresupporting member, and in which improved means is provided for supporting article-forming cores thereon in such a manner that maximum clearance is provided for the cores in the open position of the mold with minimum opening movement of the mold members.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described in which one or more molds may be in use for a Vulcanizing cycle while one or more auxiliary core-supporting members are being conveniently reloaded with article-forming cores for a subsequent vulcanlzing cycle.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation partly broken away of a platen press having molds embodying the invention mounted therein, the press being shown closed.

Figure 2 is a cross-section, on a reduced scale, taken substantially on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front elevation, broken away, illustrating the top mold as in Figure 1, but in fully open position of the press substantially as viewed at line 33 in Figure 4.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-section partly broken away, similar to Figure 2, but in the open position of the press.

Figure 5 is a cross-section taken at line 5-5 of Figure 4, illustrating shiftable core-supporting members.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken at line 6-6 in Figure 4.

Referring particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings the numeral I0 designates a platen press of known type having a relatively fixed upper platen H mounted on upright guide posts l2, I2, a lower platen l3 vertically movable on posts l2 by means of a hydraulic ram l4, and an intermediate platen member I5 which is also guided bythe uprights I2. The upper and lower" platens have secured thereto heating plates or platens I6 and I1, respectively, and the intermediate platen may itself constitute a similar heating plate, these plates being heated as by means of steam, through suitable piping (not shown).

Removably mounted between the upper heat ing plate 56 and intermediate platen 15, and between said intermediate platen and the lower heating plate ll, may be unitary cavity molds l8, l8 embodying the invention. As the top and bottom molds l8 are identical in construction the top mold only will be described in detail and like parts of the two molds shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 will be given like numbers.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the present improvements, although illustrated in connection with multiple cavity molds, are adapted also to be used for single-cavity molds. The upper mold member of top mold I8 may comprise a plate to which are removably secured,

bymeans of screws 21, a plurality of upper mold sections 22, plate 20 in turn being removably secured to the upper heating plate I6 by means of clamps 23, 23 attached to the outer faces of plate l6 by means of screws 24, lip portions 2 3a on the clamps engaging under the lower edge portions of mold plate 20. The lower mold simi' larly comprises a mold plate 25 having a plurality of lower mold sections 26, 26 secured thereto by means of screws 21, the mold sections 26 being adapted to be in registry with the upper mold sections 22 in the closed position of the press. The mold plate 25 is secured to intermediate heated platen l5 by means of clamps 29 secured to the outer faces of said platen l5, these clamps having lips 29a engaging over the upper edge portions of mold plate 25.

The intermediate platen I5 is moved to open position by being carried by gravity with the lower platen l3, and is retained in the intermediate positlon shown in Figures 3 and 4 by means of lugs 32 thereon engaging stops 33 at the lower ends of rods 34 depending from upper platen H1 at opposite sides of the press (see Figure 1).

For the purpose of illustration, the molds shown herein are designed for producing corrugated rubber tubing T of the type which may be used for flexible conduits for gas masks. To this end corrugated core members 35 are provided with stems 36 and 3'! at opposite ends thereof to be received in corresponding recessed portions 36a and 37a in upper and lower mold sections 22 and 26 for supporting the cores 35 in spaced relation to the mold cavity surfaces 22a and 26a,

the closed position of the mold.

The upper and lower mold plates 28 and 25 are relatively wider than the respective mold sections, as viewed in Figures 2 and 4, to provide flat extensions 25a and 28a at the front and rear ends of the plates. Dowel means 38 and 3| are provided on the lower and upper mold plate extensions 25a and 28a, respectively, for guiding the lower and upper mold members into registry when the mold is closed.

Provided between the upper and lower mold plates 28 and 25 may be an intermediate mold member or core supporting frame 38, which is rectangular in shape to extend around the mold sections 22 and 26 in the closed position of the mold. Frame 38 may comprise spaced front and rear L-shaped bars 39 provided with laterally spaced, downwardly extending recesses 48 and 4| at the inner sides thereof, for receiving extensions 42 and 43 respectively, at opposite ends of the cores 35 for supporting the cores when they are not supported by the lower mold section 26, as will be described later. Side bars 44, 44 of frame 38 are provided at the tops thereof with outwardly projecting rib portions 45 for engaging ribs 46, 46 which extend along the bottom edges of track members 47, 41 secured to upper mold plate 2| by means of screws 48, the arrangement being such that the core support 38 is supported in an intermediate position between the upper and lower mold members when the mold is fully open. When the mold is closed the rib members 45 and 46 will be in vertically spaced relation and the frame 38 will be supported only by engagement of members 39 with the top surfaces of the extensions 25a, 25a of mold plate 25 (see Figure 2) The recesses 40 and 4| of bars 38 may be extended downwardly to provide substantial clearance below core extensions 42 and 43 in the moldclosed condition, as best shown in Figure 2, so that no pressure will be applied between frame 38 and the cores when the mold is closed, and also so that an advantage of added clearance between cores and the upper mold parts may be obtained, without necessarily increasing the stroke of the relatively movable mold parts or otherwise changing the proportions of various parts to allow for such clearance, particularly when the unvulcanized rubber stock is placed on the cores in a manner to be described later.

Guide blocks 5|, chamfered at 5la, are mounted on extensions 25a of lower mold plate 25 to assure that the core support 38 will be properly centered when the mold is closed (see Figures 2, 4 and 6).

Spring pressed bars 52, 52 are vertically shiftably supported forwardly and rearwardly of the mold on retaining pins 53, 53 depending from extensions 20a of upper mold plate 28, the bars 52 being arranged to be yieldingly urged upwardly by, engagement thereof with portions 54 of bars 39 when the mold is closed, and yieldingly to urge the frame 38 and the cores 35 downwardly when the mold is initially opened after each curing cycle, thereby to break adhesions tending to retain the cores in the upper mold section.

The tracks 41 are extended forwardly and rearwardly of the press so that in the open position thereof, as best shown in Figure 4, the core support 38 may be pulled forwardly along the tracks to a convenient position for ready removal of the cores 3'5 therefrom with the vulcanized articles thereon, and for reloading the core support for a subsequent vulcanizing cycle.

An auxiliary core supporting frame 38a may be provided, whereby cores of one core support may be loaded or unloaded while the cores of the other core support are positioned in the mold.

As best illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, levers 56 are pivoted at 51 to the tracks 41, these levers having extensions 58 on which are projections 58 extending inwardly through slots 68 in the tracks for engagement with diagonally opposite forward and rearward edge portions of frame 38 (or 38a). The arrangement is such that the levers are operable to retain a core support in the inner position, either lever being independently operable to permit shifting the core support forwardly or rearwardly of the press as desired. Springs 6| are provided for normally urging stop projections 59 inwardly of the tracks, these projections being provided with rounded outer edge portions 62, whereby the core members may be urged inwardly past the projections 59 against the yielding action of said spring.

U-shaped handles 63, 63 may be provided at opposite sides of each core support to facilitate manually shifting the same along the tracks, and the adjacent handles of the core supports 38 and 38a may be pivotally connected by means of bar 64, whereby shifting of one core support into or out of cooperative relation with the mold will shift the other core support correspondingly out of or into cooperative relation with the mold.

In the operation of the above-described mold equipment, from the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2, after a vulcanizing cycle, the hydraulic ram I4 is operated to move lower platen I3 downwardly to the fully open position shown in Figure 4. During this opening movement the intermediate platen I5 is initially carried downwardly by gravity by being supported on the bottom mold parts, but is retained in the intermediate position shown in Figure 4 by engagement of lugs 32 of the intermediate platen with the stops 33 on the fixed posts 34. During this opening movement the core supports 38 of the top and bottom molds are carried downwardly by gravity by being supported on their respective lower mold plates 25, until they are retained in the intermediate positions shown in Figures 3 and 4 by engagement of ribs 45 of bars 44 with the track ribs 46 (see Figure 3).

In this intermediate position of the core supports 38 the top forward and lower rearward levers 56 are operable by operators at the front and rear of the press to permit shifting the top and bottom core frames 38 along the tracks thereof forwardly and rearwardly of the press, respectively. During the last mentioned movement the auxiliary or reserve core supports 38a are moved inwardly past the stops 58 of the top-rear and bottom-forward levers 56, against the yielding action of the springs 51, until the leading edges of the core supports engage the opposite stops 50. Thus the auxiliary core supports will be locked against further movement on the tracks to be in position for closing the press.

The cores 35 on the auxiliary supports 38a, before being moved inwardly as described, will have had cores loaded thereon with strips S of unvulcanized rubber stock adhered on opposite sides thereof, as shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the strips of rubber readily adhering to the cores while the same are hot from previous vulcanizing operations.

The press-closing operation of the mold is the reverse of the press-opening operation. As the lower platen I2 is operated upwardly bottom mold plate 25 carries with it thebottom core support with the cores 35 thereon until the upper and lower mold sections are in registry with the core positioned in the bottom mold, in which position the core extensions 42 and 43 will be out of supporting engagement with the core support. As the platen l2 continues its upward stroke, the top core support is similarly carried upwardly by the bottom plate of the top mold, until. the upper and lower sections of the top mold are in registry, with the top cores supported in the top mold independently of the core support (see Figure 2). The press is then ready for another article-Vulcanizing cycle, during which the cores on the outwardly shifted core supports (38 or 38a) are removed to have the finished articles stripped therefrom, and the cores are replaced in the core supports with the strips of rubber stock thereon as previously described, in readinose for a subsequent Vulcanizing operation.

With the above-described equipment the press may be operated continuously, that is, with a minimum of time lost for loading and unloading the press. Each mold, including its tracks 41, is a unitary structure adapted to be mounted between two platens of any press of suitable size and having desired parallel movement, and the mold units may be mounted in a press alone, or with other units in the manner shown and described herein.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Vulcanizing or like article-forming apparatus comprising upper and lower mold members of a mold having an article-forming cavity, said mold members being adapted to be relatively moved vertically between a closed registering position and an open spaced-apart position, a core having spaced supporting members and adapted to be positioned in said article-forming cavity in the closed position of the mold, a core support, means associated with said lower mold member for supporting said core support to be relatively movable with the lower mold member by gravity, and lost-motion interengaging means on said core support and on said upper mold member to be interengageable to retain the core support in an intermediate position between the mold members in the open position thereof said core support having spaced guide means for cooperative reception of said supporting members of said core removably to position the core on the core support for said positioning of the core in the mold, said guide means having portions engageable by said core-supporting members for supporting the core in said intermediate position of the core support, said supporting portions of said guide means being arranged to be out of supporting engagement with said spaced core-supporting members in the closed position of the mold.

2. Vulcanizing or like article-forming apparatus comprising upper and lower mold members of a mold having one or more article-forming cavities, said mold members being adapted to be relatively moved vertically between a closed registering position and an open spaced-apart position, one or more cores each having spaced supporting members and adapted to be positioned in said articleforming cavities in the closed position of the mold, a core-supporting frame having spaced side elemerits to be disposed at opposite sides of the mold, means associated with said lower mold member for supporting said frame to be relatively movable with the lower mold member by gravity, and

lost-motion interengaging means on said frame and on said upper mold member to be interengageable to retain the frame in an intermediate position between the mold members in the open position thereof, said spaced side elements each having opposite guide recesses disposed for free reception of said spaced supporting members of the core from elevated position of the core with respect to the frame removably to support the cores for said positioning thereof in the mold, said lost-motion interengaging means comprising spaced horizontal track members mounted on said upper mold member and track-engaging portions provided on said frame, said track members being extended horizontally outwardly of the mold whereby said frame is shiftable thereon outwardly of the mold to be free and clear thereof.

3. Vulcanizing or like-article forming apparatus comprising upper and lower mold members of a mold having one or more article-forming cavities, said mold members being adapted to be relatively moved vertically between a closed registering position and an open spaced-apart position, one or more cores each having spaced supporting members and adapted to be positioned in said article-forming cavities in the closed position of the mold, a core-supporting frame having spaced side elements to be disposed at opposite sides of 0 the mold, means associated with said lower mold member for supporting said frame to be relatively movable with the lower mold member by 5 be interengageable to retain the frame in an in termediate position between the mold members in the open position thereof, said spaced side elements each having opposite guide recesses disposed for free reception of said spaced supporting members of the core from elevated. position of the core with respect to the. frame removably to support the cores for said positioning thereof in the mold, said lost-motion interengaging means comprising spaced horizontal track members mounted on said upper mold member and trackengaging portions on said frame, said track members being extended horizontally outwardly of the mold whereby said core support is shiftable thereon outwardly of the mold, and means for releasably locking said frame against movement along said track in cooperative relation for said positioning of said core or cores in said mold.

4. Vulcanizing or like article-forming apparatus comprising upper and lower mold members of a mold having one or more article-forming cavities, said mold members being adapted to be relatively moved vertically between a closed registering position and an open-spaced-apart position, one or more cores each having spaced supporting members and adapted to be positioned in said article-forming cavities in the closed position of the mold, a core-supporting frame having spaced side elements to be disposed at opposite sides of the mold, means associated with said lower mold member for supporting said frame to be relatively movable with the lower mold mem her by gravity, and lost-motion interengaging means on said frame and on said upper mold member to be interengageable to retain the frame in an intermediate position between the mold members in the open position thereof, said spaced side elements each having opposite guide recesses disposed for free reception of said spaced supporting members of the core from elevated position of the core with respect to the frame removably to support the cores for said positioning thereof in the mold, said lost-motion interen-- gaging means comprising spaced horizontal track members mounted on said upper mold member and track-engaging portions on said frame, said track members being extended horizontally outwardly of the mold on opposite sides thereof whereby said frame is shiftable along said track members outwardly of the mold at one side thereof, a second core-supporting frame having like track engaging portions and adapted to be shiftable to and from a position on said track members at the other side of said mold, and means for connecting said core-supporting frames to be shiftable on said track members together.

5. Vulcanizing or like article-forming apparatus comprising upper and lower mold members adapted to be relatively moved vertically between a closed position and an open spaced-apart position, an intermediate mold member adapted to be in cooperative relation with said upper and lower mold members in the closed position thereof, means associated with said lower mold member for supporting said intermediate mold member to be relatively movable with the lower mold member by gravity, and lost-motion interengaging means on said intermediate mold member and on said upper mold member for retaining the intermediate mold member in an intermediate position between the upper and lower mold members in the open position thereof, said lost-motion interengaging means comprising spaced track members mounted on said upper mold member and track-engaging portions on said intermediate mold member, said track members being extended outwardly of the mold, on opposite sides thereof whereby said intermediate mold member is shiftable outwardly of the mold at one side thereof, a second intermediate mold member having track-engaging portions being provided to be shiftable to and from a position on said tracks at the other side of said mold and means being provided to connect said intermediate mold members to be shiftable on said track members together.

6. Vulcanizing or like article-forming apparatus comprising upper and lower mold members of a mold having oneor more article-forming cavities, said mold members being adapted to be relatively moved vertically between a closed registering and an open spaced-apart position, one

or more cores adapted to be positioned in said article-forming cavities in the closed position of the mold, a core support, means on said lower mold member for supporting said core support to be relatively movable with the lower mold member by gravity, and lost-motion interengaging means on said core support and on said upper mold member to retain the core support in an intermediate position between the mold members in the open position thereof, said cores and said core support having core-positioning means thereon interengageable for suporting the cores on said intermediate [position of the core support, said cores being freely insertable and removable with respect to said core-positioning means when the cores are not positioned in the closed mold, said lost-motion interengaging means comprising spaced track members mounted on said upper mold member and track-engaging portions on said core support, said track members being extended outwardly of the mold on opposite sides thereof whereby said core support is shiftable outwardly of the mold at one side thereof, a second core support having like track engaging portions provided to be shiftable to and from a position on said tracks at the other side of said mold, and means for connecting said core supports to be shiftable on said track members together.

DIETRICH G. REMPEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,291,637 Burkhardt Jan. 14, 1919 1,607,073 Gros Nov. 16, 1926 2,013,320 Shank et a1 Sept. 3, 1935 2,059,387 Nanfeldt Nov. 3, 1936 2,138,047 Turner Nov. 29, 1938 

